IU's Chris Covington aims to fill big gap left by Marcus Oliver

Career yardage leaders in passing, rushing and receiving for IU football
Scott Horner/IndyStar

Buy Photo

Chris Covington, a 6-2, 230-pound senior, will fill Marcus Oliver's role this season. Oliver was perhaps the most productive middle linebacker in IU history. Last season, Covington (17) went airborne against Michigan State Spartans running back Madre London.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

BLOOMINGTON – The Marcus Oliver-size hole in Indiana’s defense, left by perhaps the most productive middle linebacker in program history, is about to be filled by a player whose first collegiate snaps came at quarterback.

And that’s exactly how everyone wants it to be.

Chris Covington, a 6-2, 230-pound senior, will be the Hoosiers’ replacement for Oliver when Ohio State arrives Aug. 31. Provided he stays healthy, Covington will man perhaps the most critical post in coach Tom Allen’s defense, after winning a position battle that was never really a battle.

“He wants the pressure and expectation to be on him, and that’s what I love about him — he won’t shy away from understanding and knowing that,” said linebackers coach William Inge. “Whenever things go down, he puts that on him. The preparation, the strength and conditioning, the summer work, he’s done everything to this point to say, ‘Coach, I want to be the guy and I want to own this defense.’”

Oliver was an ever-present fixture at linebacker for Indiana for three seasons, plus parts of an injury-shortened fourth.

He was a two-time team captain, Indiana’s all-time leader with 12 career forced fumbles and the collector of 255 tackles from 2013-16. He often was described as the quarterback of Indiana’s defense, in part because the middle (or “mike”) linebacker makes so many presnap calls, and in part because Oliver was such an effective on-the-field communicator.

Alongside All-American Tegray Scales, Indiana’s “stinger” linebacker, Oliver helped engineer one of the country’s biggest defensive turnarounds last season. He could have returned for a fifth year in 2017, but elected to turn pro.

Buy Photo

Marcus Oliver (44) was a two-time team captain and Indiana’s all-time leader with 12 career forced fumbles. Last season Oliver celebrated with Tegray Scales (8) after Oliver sacked Purdue Boilermakers quarterback David Blough in the Oaken Bucket game.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

Going into the offseason, Scales needed a new running mate, and IU’s defense needed a new quarterback. So they turned to an old one.

“It’s what I wanted,” Covington said. “Coach Allen gave me the opportunity, and I’m taking full advantage of it.”

Covington was actually recruited from Chicago Al Raby as a defensive back. During his freshman season in 2014, with Nate Sudfeld sidelined, he took snaps as a dual-threat quarterback, before his own season was ended by an ACL injury.

From there, he moved to linebacker, playing sparingly as a sophomore before appearing in all 13 games last season. Backing up Oliver, Covington made one start, posted 29 tackles and carded two sacks.

Dameon Willis actually started for an injured Oliver in the Foster Farms Bowl in December. But by the end of spring practice, there was little question who held the inside lane for Oliver’s old spot.

“From a leadership perspective, he had a great summer,” Allen said. “That to me was step No. 1, to be able to show his teammates, show his staff, show himself that he’s a guy that can be counted on to lead.”

CLOSE

Coaches heading into the 2017 season.
Scott Horner/IndyStar

Familiarity helped smooth his ascension this offseason.

“He’s played the position before,” Scales said. “At mike, Coach Inge is doing a great job helping him, and he’s doing a great job coming in by himself and doing stuff, helping me.

“He definitely grew into his body. Now he’s filling out. He’s a true mike, and that’s what we need —somebody who can put a dent into the O-line.”

Covington won’t be IU’s only mike ‘backer this season, just as Oliver wasn’t last season.

And he won’t have to take all of Oliver’s old responsibilities on alone. In Scales, he knows he has perhaps the Big Ten’s best overall linebacker alongside him, a fellow senior who has spoken repeatedly this offseason about becoming a better and more vocal leader in his own right.

“With Tegray beside me,” Covington said, “it’s just easier for me.”

Still, the middle belongs to Covington, first and foremost. That’s the way he wanted it, the way it was supposed to work, and the way it has turned out.

“He knows and has embraced the expectations and the standards,” Inge said. “He wants to be the guy.”